Border Patrol arrests at the southern border have fallen to their lowest sustained level in more than 50 years, yet the agency's surveillance footprint on U.S. highways is expanding rather than shrinking. With fewer people crossing at the physical line, resources and technology are increasingly pointed at drivers hundreds of miles from Mexico.
For commuters, delivery drivers and small-business owners near the southern border — and even in cities like Chicago, Houston and Detroit — the checkpoint is no longer just at the line. It can show up on the interstate, far from any port of entry.
